This course covers a lot of ground. After all, it's the Universe that we're talking about! We need to get some grounding in "regular" physics so that we have a common vocabulary and some necessary ideas under out belts...but then we're off into Einstein, Bohr, Hubble, Dirac, Fermi, Feynman, and yes, Higgs!
This will mostly be descriptive with a few key ideas that we'll hang onto as we get modern.
You'll be able to tell where we are by the color of the lecture slides as compared with the mostly chronological chart below.
Basic Physics
Physics deals with how things evolve in space and in time. That's Motion. And motion starts with forces, which change Momentum. So we'll catch up on those terms. We also need to know about Newton's Gravitation and the basics of Electromagnetism.
"Atom Smashers" they used to be called. We call them "Accelerators." They take particles, get them moving at near-light speeds, and then crash them into stuff. Laboratories build accelerators. Big ones. We catch the debris with Detectors which we build. Astronomers use Telescopes and Satellite Observatories.
Theory of Relativity
Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity's tee shirt equation, E=mc2 is the behind everything. Geometry is buried inside of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.
Cosmology, First Pass!
Cosmology wasn't even a science until the 1920s. Einstein's equations contained surprises and Edwin Hubble's Law came as a surprise that led to the modern day picture of our expanding Universe.
Quantum Mechanics
Nobody understands Quantum Mechanics! But we're all pretty good Quantum Mechanics. Photons, particles and waves, the Uncertainty Principle of Heisenberg...when added to Relativity lead to the weirdness that underpins our tiny, tiny worldview.Spacetime and Feynman Diagrams will be our template and our tools.
Forces of Nature
We know 4 forces of Nature. The Strong Force tells us how nuclei stay together. The Weak Force tells us how nuclei come apart. The Electromagnetic Force describes electromagnetism and the Gravitational Force describes howthe planets stay in their orbits. We understand three of them as quantum theories but Gravitation is the odd-man out. We think there must be New Forces to make it all work.
Quarks
Matter is unusual! Tiny bits called Quarks hold the world of matter together.Are they the end of the story? And why do their masses differ by a factor of 10,000? That doesn't make any sense!
The Standard Model of Cosmology
The expanding universe, run backwards leads to a beginning. The Big Bang model is the name of the story. It's a theory that's well understood and highly verified. Satellite observatories have found that the Cosmic Microwave Background in all of space is the fingerprint trail that leads us back to only 300,000 years since the Big Bang.
The Standard Model of Particle Physics
We don't understand mass! And we think that we should, so we've built a model of everything - that works better than any description of nature ever. It had a missing piece, but that Higgs Boson was found during the summer of 2012 – and was recognized by the Nobel Prize in 2013. But we're not done, not by a long shot.
Beyond the Standard Models
What's Wrong with the Standard Model of Cosmology? The Standard Model of Cosmology includes the Big Bang and all of the tests of that idea that have come together. But there are issues with the Big Bang Theory that even have names: The Horizon Problem.The Flatness Problem. And will Sheldon ever find a permanent girlfriend?
Inflation is a solution, but it comes with its own set of problems. Plus what is the Dark Matter that holds galaxies together? What is the nature of the Dark Energy that seems to act like a reverse gravity?
What's Wrong with the Standard Model of Particle Physics? The Higgs Boson solved some issues, but creates new ones. It's mass is too low and something new has to be in the picture. Supersymmetry? Strings? Something new?
